Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Anniversary Get-Away and Heavenly Baked Peaches!

Last week the hubby surprised me with his plans to whisk me off to a quaint little Bed & Breakfast in Frenchtown, NJ for our 1 year anniversary.

This time last year... :)

During our pre-dating days, Zach and I hosted some biking trips along the DNR Canal Path for our youth group, so going back to that area holds some nostalgic sweetness for us. We liked each other - secretly - during those autumnal bike rides, so it was just too much fun to go back there NOW, after one year of marriage together! God is good. :)

Our B&B was precious, the fall weather was more than I could have asked for (i.e. Alive and well!), the food was fun, and we got a good 20 miles of biking under our belts!

What a sight for sore eyes! :)

Instead of having guests convene in a breakfast room, this particular inn delivers breakfast to your door in a darling little basket! Clearly I couldn't make any plant-based requests this way, but I ate what I could and foisted the rest off onto Z. Plus, we felt privileged to eat in our PJ's! :)

The first morning we received, seemingly from Heaven, a baked peach topped with walnuts... Oh. My. Amazingness. Clearly I had to set about to reproduce this wondrous culinary creation! This is what I tried:

- 3 peaches, halved and pitted- 1/2 cup walnuts- 1 tsp cinnamon- 1/4 tsp vanilla- 2.5 or 3 tsp maple syrupSet oven to 400 degrees. Cut peaches in half, remove pits, and scrape/cut out dark interior of the wells. Place peach halves in an oven-safe dish lined with parchment paper (the juices tend to burn, so make sure the parchment paper has full coverage). In a processor, add all of the ingredients and whiz until finely chopped (don't over-process). Scoop mixture into peach wells, douse each with orange juice or apple juice, and place in oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until soft. Remove, eat warm, and enter baked-fruit euphoria! These can also be kept in the fridge and nuked for 30-35 seconds for on-hand goodness. I know... I love you, too.

We also went apple picking like we did last year on our honeymoon. The orchard was jam packed, but we still enjoyed our little hayride to the apples, our traipse around the grove, and our bag full of plunder. We definitely have ample fruitage, so I may try a baked apple with the above recipe, too!

Making hubby get the high ones... :)

All in all it was a wonderful weekend! Marriage is a true gift from God. My husband definitely adds whole new levels of joy to my life; plus, having a fall anniversary means we get to celebrate during my favorite season! :)